Employer-sponsored recurrent (or lifelong) learning has grown from its World War II beginnings to become a large, important, but little-studied aspect of American education, one with major implications for the U.S. economy and society. U.S. employers spend from 20 to 100 billion dollars on educational programs for anywhere from 37 to 73 million employees. The educational programs range from informal on-the-job training or formal apprenticeships to formal academic instruction through tuition assistance or paid release time. Availability of the programs is uneven; they are provided chiefly by large companies and are used mostly by nonmanual employees. Examination of four types of tuition assistance, the most prevalent employer-sponsored program, illumines some benefits and barriers. A survey of company and union officials, union workers, and union contracts showed the programs enhanced worker effectiveness and satisfaction and increased career development and job mobility. But 20 barriers, especially lack of time off and of program information, hampered worker participation. Three successful tuition assistance programs (two company and one union) indicate the barriers can be overcome if the programs include liberal eligibility, flexible work scheduling, nonrestrictive curriculum requirements, limited out-of-pocket expenses, and wide publicity. (RW)